Armory Sponsor
Posted: 8/6/2016 7:47:46 PM EDT
|
I'm fairly new to reloading. We just started in the last few months and have only loaded .45 Colt so far. Now we are trying to figure out a load for a Kimber Solo. The Solo requires a 124 grain bullet with a velocity of 1100 fps minimum for it to run correctly. We will be loading 124 grain FMJ to mimic our factory SD ammo and need to stay in the high velocity range. The factory SD ammo is Hornady 124 Grain XTP with a velocity of 1100 fps so that's what we need to mimic.
What I need is a good powder recommendation to get to that velocity with a 124 grain FMJ bullet. We have the current Lee reloading manual but one manual only gives you a single piece of a large pie. What powders would you guys recommend? If it works well with .40 S&W, .45 acp, .357 mag and .44 magnum also or any of those individually that would be a plus. EDIT: So far I'm leaning towards Power Pistol powder. |
|
Quoted: I'm fairly new to reloading. We just started in the last few months and have only loaded .45 Colt so far. Now we are trying to figure out a load for a Kimber Solo. The Solo requires a 124 grain bullet with a velocity of 1100 fps minimum for it to run correctly. We will be loading 124 grain FMJ to mimic our factory SD ammo and need to stay in the high velocity range. The factory SD ammo is Hornady 124 Grain XTP with a velocity of 1100 fps so that's what we need to mimic. What I need is a good powder recommendation to get to that velocity with a 124 grain FMJ bullet. We have the current Lee reloading manual but one manual only gives you a single piece of a large pie. What powders would you guys recommend? If it works well with .40 S&W, .45 acp, .357 mag and .44 magnum also or any of those individually that would be a plus. EDIT: So far I'm leaning towards Power Pistol powder. Open up a reloading manual find the 124 gr data and it will tell you what powders will reach 1100 fps. I have used Power pistol, but my favorite 9mm powder is True Blue. (ball powder) |
|
OP: your goals with your gun are safe and reasonable with published loads.
As for the "best" powder, you might want to take a look at which powders people are using for "9mm Major" or just "9 major." I'm not suggesting you actually load that hot (essentially +p+); I'm just suggesting that those same powders will meet your goals. AutoComp will work, as will V V 3n38 or 3n37 or the hard to find N-350. I've used the common Power Pistol for 9major too; it works even if a little dirty. You might want to check out the 9mm reloading sub forum on brianenos.com for what powders currently work best. Please report back here and let us know how your testing went. |
the Solo is just like any other Micro pistol, be that its recoil sprung up for full defence loads.
Hence short of changing the recoil spring to a softer unit (whole assembly since its the smaller spring that is really over tension for lighter loads), your going to need to load on the hotter side for this pistol to get it to cycle correctly with its factor spring in play. Now here is the glitch, and since it has such a short barrel, you have to think in regards to this, and not just think slower burning powder loads that may be faster in a longer barrels isntead. So what you need to think, is semi faster burning powder, and then loaded to max loads instead. Powders like unique and universal will get you their (watch your spent primers for signs of over pressure) while not leaving a mess of un-burt powder in the pistol if you are trying to use powders like HS-6 instead. As for if the game plan is to turn in into a shooter, instead of just a back up pistol to be short only once in a while instead, then just re-spring the gun with a new recoil rod and spring so it does not have to be shot with full loads to shorten it life instead. Hence find someone with a lathe to make you are single spring rod that will use 1911 springs, and you can adjust the recoil spring tension to allow the pistol to cycle target type load instead. |
|
WSF a great powder. 5.0 grains is comfortable, mild and easily hits your goal. You can load hotter and still be safe.
One of of my budget practice/match loads is 5.0 grains of WSF and the Precision Delta 124 JHP loaded to 1.10. When you purchase in bulk of 2k they are as cheap as FMJ. |
|
Quoted:
9mm is one that you can load and not really blow up a firearm. We plasticized cases going way hot b4 and not had a firearm have a malfunction. Just the cases were at the end of their lives. Care to expound on this? I've been loading my 115gr JHP pretty hot with no pressure signs. Using 6gr Unique now but want to try some others. |
|
Quoted:
WSF a great powder. 5.0 grains is comfortable, mild and easily hits your goal. You can load hotter and still be safe. One of of my budget practice/match loads is 5.0 grains of WSF and the Precision Delta 124 JHP loaded to 1.10. When you purchase in bulk of 2k they are as cheap as FMJ. I don't remember the OAL but the 124 PD HP with 5.0 of WSF is one of my favorite loads. |
|
Quoted:
I go for WSF as well. If even heavier bullets like 147+ grains are in your future, WSF is never a bad choice. The recoil seems a bit less abrupt as well. What kind of starting load should I be looking at with 147 gr and WSF? I've chrono'd a 125 HAP w/5.0 @ 1140 fps and a 115 gold dot w/6.0 @ 1275. Haven't seen any load data on 147 but would be curious if I could get a 147 xtp up to 1150 safely. |
|
Quoted:
Open up a reloading manual find the 124 gr data and it will tell you what powders will reach 1100 fps. I have used Power pistol, but my favorite 9mm powder is True Blue. (ball powder) Quoted:
Quoted:
I'm fairly new to reloading. We just started in the last few months and have only loaded .45 Colt so far. Now we are trying to figure out a load for a Kimber Solo. The Solo requires a 124 grain bullet with a velocity of 1100 fps minimum for it to run correctly. We will be loading 124 grain FMJ to mimic our factory SD ammo and need to stay in the high velocity range. The factory SD ammo is Hornady 124 Grain XTP with a velocity of 1100 fps so that's what we need to mimic. What I need is a good powder recommendation to get to that velocity with a 124 grain FMJ bullet. We have the current Lee reloading manual but one manual only gives you a single piece of a large pie. What powders would you guys recommend? If it works well with .40 S&W, .45 acp, .357 mag and .44 magnum also or any of those individually that would be a plus. EDIT: So far I'm leaning towards Power Pistol powder. Open up a reloading manual find the 124 gr data and it will tell you what powders will reach 1100 fps. I have used Power pistol, but my favorite 9mm powder is True Blue. (ball powder) I have opened up my manual and looked at the loads. I'm simply asking what other people prefer. |
|
Quoted:
the Solo is just like any other Micro pistol, be that its recoil sprung up for full defence loads. https://assets.shootingillustrated.com/media/1535841/kimber-solo4.jpg Hence short of changing the recoil spring to a softer unit (whole assembly since its the smaller spring that is really over tension for lighter loads), your going to need to load on the hotter side for this pistol to get it to cycle correctly with its factor spring in play. Now here is the glitch, and since it has such a short barrel, you have to think in regards to this, and not just think slower burning powder loads that may be faster in a longer barrels isntead. So what you need to think, is semi faster burning powder, and then loaded to max loads instead. Powders like unique and universal will get you their (watch your spent primers for signs of over pressure) while not leaving a mess of un-burt powder in the pistol if you are trying to use powders like HS-6 instead. As for if the game plan is to turn in into a shooter, instead of just a back up pistol to be short only once in a while instead, then just re-spring the gun with a new recoil rod and spring so it does not have to be shot with full loads to shorten it life instead. Hence find someone with a lathe to make you are single spring rod that will use 1911 springs, and you can adjust the recoil spring tension to allow the pistol to cycle target type load instead. Thanks. The Solo is my sister's concealed carry gun. We've tried several different kinds of factory defense ammo and the Hornady XTP that I mentioned in my original post has proven to be extremely reliable and very accurate so that's what we are sticking with for her carry ammo. I'm just looking for a powder that will let us get as close as possible to the Hornady's performance. We do have Universal but it requires riding the very maximum to get near the velocities we already know the gun performs well with. I've never heard of folks respringing a Solo and I'd rather not mess with it since we have it running perfectly as is but I'm going to do more research on it. |
|
I agree with that approach: tailor the loads instead of the tailoring the gun.
1911s - especially in calibers like 9mm, don't really wear out. In contrast, a 1911 in 10mm or 45 Super those do tend to wear out a little quicker. Plus I do not get the impression OP is planning on shooting tens of thousands of SD type practice rounds (though I might be wrong). |
|
Quoted:
I agree with that approach: tailor the loads instead of the tailoring the gun. 1911s - especially in calibers like 9mm, don't really wear out. In contrast, a 1911 in 10mm or 45 Super those do tend to wear out a little quicker. Plus I do not get the impression OP is planning on shooting tens of thousands of SD type practice rounds (though I might be wrong). You'd be correct. It would be nice to be able to afford that much ammo but we have way too many calibers to put anywhere near that in any one of them. At least with our new reloading gear we'll be able to afford to shoot far more than we used to and I LOVE to shoot. 
|
|
Quoted:
Hodgdon HS-6, 6.4grs, and CCI 550 Small Pistol Magnum primer give me 1200fps with 124gr XTP from Beretta PX4 Storm, 4" barrel. Same load in wife's 3" PX4 Compact gives 1150fps. Those are pretty good results, thanks. I almost bought a Storm when I was looking for a 9mm but really wanted a 92 and bought a 92A1. I'm still really interested in the Storm just because it looks awesome (in addition to having a great reputation) so I may end up with one before I kick off. |
|
Do you have a chronograph, and did you chrono the Hornady loads from the Solo?
If you are counting on what the box says, I can almost guarantee that you're not getting 1100 FPS. I have tested multiple lots of Hornady ammo across different calibers, and never hit the velocities they claim. The closest I ever came was with 147gr XTPs out of a 9mm SP101. I think I was about 20fps under what they claimed. 50AE out of a 6" Desert Eagle was about 125fps under their claimed velocity. You can't really clone a load based solely on what the box says, or what reloading manuals say. A reloading manual might claim 1200fps out of a 4" barrel with X amount of Y powder, while in real life you're getting 1050fps. |
|
Quoted:
Do you have a chronograph, and did you chrono the Hornady loads from the Solo? If you are counting on what the box says, I can almost guarantee that you're not getting 1100 FPS. I have tested multiple lots of Hornady ammo across different calibers, and never hit the velocities they claim. The closest I ever came was with 147gr XTPs out of a 9mm SP101. I think I was about 20fps under what they claimed. 50AE out of a 6" Desert Eagle was about 125fps under their claimed velocity. You can't really clone a load based solely on what the box says, or what reloading manuals say. A reloading manual might claim 1200fps out of a 4" barrel with X amount of Y powder, while in real life you're getting 1050fps. This is solid advice. You're also going to see a lot of variation from one gun to another. Hell, I get 50-ish LESS fps out of my 5" M&P than with my 4.6" CZ Shadow with the exact same load. |
|
Quoted:
I have opened up my manual and looked at the loads. I'm simply asking what other people prefer. Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I'm fairly new to reloading. We just started in the last few months and have only loaded .45 Colt so far. Now we are trying to figure out a load for a Kimber Solo. The Solo requires a 124 grain bullet with a velocity of 1100 fps minimum for it to run correctly. We will be loading 124 grain FMJ to mimic our factory SD ammo and need to stay in the high velocity range. The factory SD ammo is Hornady 124 Grain XTP with a velocity of 1100 fps so that's what we need to mimic. What I need is a good powder recommendation to get to that velocity with a 124 grain FMJ bullet. We have the current Lee reloading manual but one manual only gives you a single piece of a large pie. What powders would you guys recommend? If it works well with .40 S&W, .45 acp, .357 mag and .44 magnum also or any of those individually that would be a plus. EDIT: So far I'm leaning towards Power Pistol powder. Open up a reloading manual find the 124 gr data and it will tell you what powders will reach 1100 fps. I have used Power pistol, but my favorite 9mm powder is True Blue. (ball powder) I have opened up my manual and looked at the loads. I'm simply asking what other people prefer. Power pistol works well in 9mm, 40short&week, 45auto. (Sorry I own a 10mm. the 40S&W was literally a knockoff of a 10mm for "small framed shooters" End of rant.) |
|
I've also had great results with Power Pistol, with everything from mild to wild!
I just recently picked up some BE-86 to try, which might end up replacing Power Pistol for me. As much as I like the thought of carrying a flamethrower for self-defense, I'd really rather not have my handgun also function as a strobe light... 
|
|
Quoted:
I've also had great results with Power Pistol, with everything from mild to wild! I just recently picked up some BE-86 to try, which might end up replacing Power Pistol for me. As much as I like the thought of carrying a flamethrower for self-defense, I'd really rather not have my handgun also function as a strobe light... Whose 9mm Power Pistol do you use? I've had good results with Hornady data with a 124 gr XTP, worked up to max. I'm happy with that. Great accuracy and 100% reliability in several handguns. I'd like to try some BE-86, which is very similar in burning rate to PP, for the same reasons as you. |
|
Quoted:
Do you have a chronograph, and did you chrono the Hornady loads from the Solo? If you are counting on what the box says, I can almost guarantee that you're not getting 1100 FPS. I have tested multiple lots of Hornady ammo across different calibers, and never hit the velocities they claim. The closest I ever came was with 147gr XTPs out of a 9mm SP101. I think I was about 20fps under what they claimed. 50AE out of a 6" Desert Eagle was about 125fps under their claimed velocity. You can't really clone a load based solely on what the box says, or what reloading manuals say. A reloading manual might claim 1200fps out of a 4" barrel with X amount of Y powder, while in real life you're getting 1050fps. Pay attention to the above post OP, because there is no way in hell that you obtained a muzzle velocity of 1100 FPS from the 2.7" barrel of a Kimber Solo with factory loaded Hornady standard pressure 124 grain XTP ammunition. I've chronographed multiple lots of this ammunition from a SIG Sauer P229 and was only getting velocities around 1050 FPS. You need to chronograpah the Hornady factory load from your Solo and then start working up loads from that point. Also, the factory loaded Hornady standard pressure 124 grain XTP is a piss-poor choice for a self-defense load. You should seriously consider using one of the 147 grain loads from Dr. G.K. Roberts' approved list when using such a short barrel. Notice which bullet weight below shows the smallest percentage of velocity loss when fired from the Kahr MK9 (with its 3" barrel) and therefore remains closest to its ideal expansion window. 
Dr. G.K. Roberts' list of apporved duty/self-defense loads. Note that there isn't a single XTP load on the list. 9 mm: Barnes XPB 115 gr JHP (copper bullet) Federal Tactical 124 gr JHP (LE9T1) Federal HST 124 gr +P JHP (P9HST3) Remington Golden Saber bonded 124 gr +P JHP (GSB9MMD) Speer Gold Dot 124 gr +P JHP Winchester Ranger-T 124 gr +P JHP (RA9124TP) Winchester 124 gr +P bonded JHP (RA9BA) Winchester Ranger-T 127 gr +P+ JHP (RA9TA) Federal Tactical 135 gr +P JHP (LE9T5) Hornady Critical Duty 135 gr +P PT Federal HST 147 gr JHP (P9HST2) Remington Golden Saber 147 gr JHP (GS9MMC) Speer Gold Dot 147 gr JHP Speer G2 147 gr PT Winchester Ranger-T 147 gr JHP (RA9T) Winchester 147 gr bonded JHP (RA9B/Q4364) .40 S&W: Barnes XPB 140 & 155 gr JHP (copper bullet) Speer Gold Dot 155 gr JHP Federal Tactical 165 gr JHP (LE40T3) Speer Gold Dot 165 gr JHP Winchester Ranger-T 165 gr JHP (RA40TA) Federal HST 180 gr JHP (P40HST1) Federal Tactical 180 gr JHP (LE40T1) Remington Golden Saber 180 gr JHP (GS40SWB) Speer Gold Dot 180 gr JHP Winchester Ranger-T 180 gr JHP (RA40T) Winchester 180 gr bonded JHP (RA40B/Q4355/S40SWPDB1) 45 ACP: Barnes XPB 185 gr JHP (copper bullet) Hornady Critical Duty 220 gr +P JHP Federal HST 230 gr JHP (P45HST2) Federal HST 230 gr +P JHP (P45HST1) Federal Tactical 230 gr JHP (LE45T1) Speer Gold Dot 230 gr JHP Winchester Ranger-T 230 gr JHP (RA45T) Winchester Ranger-T 230 gr +P JHP (RA45TP) |
|
Quoted:
Do you have a chronograph, and did you chrono the Hornady loads from the Solo? If you are counting on what the box says, I can almost guarantee that you're not getting 1100 FPS. I have tested multiple lots of Hornady ammo across different calibers, and never hit the velocities they claim. The closest I ever came was with 147gr XTPs out of a 9mm SP101. I think I was about 20fps under what they claimed. 50AE out of a 6" Desert Eagle was about 125fps under their claimed velocity. You can't really clone a load based solely on what the box says, or what reloading manuals say. A reloading manual might claim 1200fps out of a 4" barrel with X amount of Y powder, while in real life you're getting 1050fps. We just got a chronograph and haven't chrono'd the Hornady loads yet. I know that I'm not going to get near that velocity out of the Solo, that's just common sense. The point is that is the listed speed and I already know that particular cartridge runs well in the Solo so if we can match the performance of known factory rounds that perform well it stands to reason it will should work in the Solo also (we have full size 9mm's to test speeds with too). Kimber also provides a list of 124 & 147 grain high velocity ammunition that has proven to run well in the Solo which it was designed to use. It will not run reliably with lighter bullets or lower velocities. I agree with you that what is printed on the box rarely matches what you get at home, even when shooting from the same barrel length used in the factory's test "guns". One of the reasons we got the chronograph was to see what our normal factory ammo does out of our guns as well as our reloads. |
|
Quoted:
Whose 9mm Power Pistol do you use? I've had good results with Hornady data with a 124 gr XTP, worked up to max. I'm happy with that. Great accuracy and 100% reliability in several handguns. I'd like to try some BE-86, which is very similar in burning rate to PP, for the same reasons as you. Quoted:
Quoted:
I've also had great results with Power Pistol, with everything from mild to wild! I just recently picked up some BE-86 to try, which might end up replacing Power Pistol for me. As much as I like the thought of carrying a flamethrower for self-defense, I'd really rather not have my handgun also function as a strobe light... Whose 9mm Power Pistol do you use? I've had good results with Hornady data with a 124 gr XTP, worked up to max. I'm happy with that. Great accuracy and 100% reliability in several handguns. I'd like to try some BE-86, which is very similar in burning rate to PP, for the same reasons as you. I think I was using Alliant's old data before they pulled it and replaced it with BE-86. Now they only show Power Pistol data for Gold Dot bullets. My favorite target load is 5.0 grains of Power Pistol with a 124 grain JHP, either Montana Gold or Precision Delta. Velocity in a 5" barrel was approximately 1,050 fps, and a 4" barrel was around 975 fps if I remember correctly. Great target loads, but not for defensive use. The Montana Gold bullets tended to separate from the jackets in the dirt berm. I haven't tried them in any better target media yet, because that's what Gold Dots and XTPs are for... I've gone as high as 6.5 grains with a 115 grain FMJ, but they were LOUD and launched the brass clear across the indoor range! I'm honestly surprised I didn't get asked to leave, because I'm sure I must have pelted a few other shooters with high velocity hot brass... 
Please be sure to verify any posted load data yourself and work your way up. |
|
Quoted:
I think I was using Alliant's old data before they pulled it and replaced it with BE-86. Now they only show Power Pistol data for Gold Dot bullets. My favorite target load is 5.0 grains of Power Pistol with a 124 grain JHP, either Montana Gold or Precision Delta. Velocity in a 5" barrel was approximately 1,050 fps, and a 4" barrel was around 975 fps if I remember correctly. Great target loads, but not for defensive use. The Montana Gold bullets tended to separate from the jackets in the dirt berm. I haven't tried them in any better target media yet, because that's what Gold Dots and XTPs are for... I've gone as high as 6.5 grains with a 115 grain FMJ, but they were LOUD and launched the brass clear across the indoor range! I'm honestly surprised I didn't get asked to leave, because I'm sure I must have pelted a few other shooters with high velocity hot brass...
Please be sure to verify any posted load data yourself and work your way up. Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I've also had great results with Power Pistol, with everything from mild to wild! I just recently picked up some BE-86 to try, which might end up replacing Power Pistol for me. As much as I like the thought of carrying a flamethrower for self-defense, I'd really rather not have my handgun also function as a strobe light... Whose 9mm Power Pistol do you use? I've had good results with Hornady data with a 124 gr XTP, worked up to max. I'm happy with that. Great accuracy and 100% reliability in several handguns. I'd like to try some BE-86, which is very similar in burning rate to PP, for the same reasons as you. I think I was using Alliant's old data before they pulled it and replaced it with BE-86. Now they only show Power Pistol data for Gold Dot bullets. My favorite target load is 5.0 grains of Power Pistol with a 124 grain JHP, either Montana Gold or Precision Delta. Velocity in a 5" barrel was approximately 1,050 fps, and a 4" barrel was around 975 fps if I remember correctly. Great target loads, but not for defensive use. The Montana Gold bullets tended to separate from the jackets in the dirt berm. I haven't tried them in any better target media yet, because that's what Gold Dots and XTPs are for... I've gone as high as 6.5 grains with a 115 grain FMJ, but they were LOUD and launched the brass clear across the indoor range! I'm honestly surprised I didn't get asked to leave, because I'm sure I must have pelted a few other shooters with high velocity hot brass...
Please be sure to verify any posted load data yourself and work your way up. Thanks. Absolutely. No cherry picking loads for me. I always start low and work up. I was curious because there's such a wide range of PP data out there for 9mm. |
|
Hornady's 9th edition reccomends Power Pistol, as they felt it did the best at all bullet weights, but they also highly reccomend Acc #7. Acc #7 gave the highest velocity though for your 124 gr xtp, at about 1150 vs about 1100 with Power Pistol. Hornady uses measurements to the nearest 50 in their manual.
Since you already know you will not reach the listed velocities, you could try either of those two powders as the manual matches what's on your box, as well as Unique and True Blue, both around 1100 fps. All of those velocities were acheived at max load. |
|
So from what I'm hearing Power Pistol is a good high velocity powder choice but the cons are lots of flash and is dirty. Neither of which is a major issue for practice ammo. I've decided that Power Pistol is definitely on the list so now I'll go back and look at the data for the other powders you all recommended and see if there's one or more that work as well or even better. I am EXTREMELY thankful for all your suggestions. Trying to pick just one powder for the best results for just one caliber is quite the mental workout for folks who are just starting out and don't have that wealth of knowledge from experienced reloaders so your help is huge.
Thanks again! Edit: After going over all the information and recommendations you all gave me, I've settled on these 5 to decide from. 1. Alliant Power Pistol 2. Accurate #7 3. Alliant BE-86 4. Hodgdon HS-6 5. Winchester WSF Not sure how to decide one over the other since they all seem pretty close to each other but it'll include price, availability, cleanliness, flash, use with other calibers, how well it meters and velocity range. Then I need to the all over again for several more calibers lol. Ack! |
|
Quoted: So from what I'm hearing Power Pistol is a good high velocity powder choice but the cons are lots of flash and is dirty. Neither of which is a major issue for practice ammo. I've decided that Power Pistol is definitely on the list so now I'll go back and look at the data for the other powders you all recommended and see if there's one or more that work as well or even better. I am EXTREMELY thankful for all your suggestions. Trying to pick just one powder for the best results for just one caliber is quite the mental workout for folks who are just starting out and don't have that wealth of knowledge from experienced reloaders so your help is huge. Thanks again! Edit: After going over all the information and recommendations you all gave me, I've settled on these 5 to decide from. 1. Alliant Power Pistol 2. Accurate #7 3. Alliant BE-86 4. Hodgdon HS-6 5. Winchester WSF Not sure how to decide one over the other since they all seem pretty close to each other but it'll include price, availability, cleanliness, flash, use with other calibers, how well it meters and velocity range. Then I need to the all over again for several more calibers lol. Ack! You missed the best one IMHO, True Blue. A fine ball powder from Ramshot. |
|
I load 9mm major and usually chrono around 1400fps with Zero 125 gr JHP. This is in a custom built STI framed race gun that was built for this purpose. I load 8.0 to 8.2 gr of the following powders, all which work equally well though HS-6 is my favorite HS6 True Blue power pistol silhouette OBVIOUSLY DONT LOAD THIS HIGH. These are powders which perform well at higher velocities |
|
CFE Pistol is also great for HV pistol loads. You might need a new loading manual for data since it's a relatively new powder, but my 5.2gr loads with a 124gr Rocky Mountain Reloading plated bullet go around 1100fps with decent recoil.
Once I run through my stock of Power Pistol, I'm actually going to switch to CFE for most of my 9mm minor (and possibly major when I feel like it) loads because I'm getting tired of the concussion with the heavier 9mm loads. I also consistently get sooty cases with Power Pistol, even when I'm running above the published max in my Hornady manual. Max is 5.7, I tested to 6.2 last week and had extreme blowby. CFE gives clean cases reliably. |
Armory Sponsor